Resourceful Teens Using E-Cigarettes for Pot
Written by E D, Posted on , in Section Therapy News
E-cigarettes being used by teens for more than liquid nicotine.
As a parent, it's probably not surprising that our teens can be pretty resourceful about getting their way. Researchers have now found how teens are using e-cigarettes, the alternative to traditional smoking, as a way to inhale pot. As states are trying to crack down and enforce tougher laws, this loophole in the product has a lot of experts concerned.
One of the reasons that teens are turning to e-cigarettes for pot? It makes it easier to contain that smell we would associate with it. E-cigarettes use an oil that puts out significantly lower amounts of the scent than the traditional methods. This has a big draw for teens trying to keep their "bad habit" from their parents.
This USA Today article breaks down the specifics of the study that came out earlier this week. As with everything when it comes to parenting our teens, it's important to keep an eye on their activities and to openly discuss our expectations when it comes to substance abuse. By setting a positive example for our children, we can help keep them away from these dangerous products.
The following was originally posted on USAToday.com (source: USA Today) at http://goo.gl/UeqUbq on September 8, 2015:
Teenagers have discovered a new way to inhale marijuana — e-cigarette vaporizers, according to a study released Monday.
About 27% of high school students who have used both marijuana and e-cigarettes reported using the devices to vaporize cannabis. Those most likely to vaporize pot with e-cigarettes included males and younger students.
E-cigarettes are designed to vaporize solutions containing nicotine, said co-author Meghan Rabbitt Morean. But, she noted, “teenagers are resourceful, and it was only a matter of time.”
Vaporizers give kids a better way to hide what they're inhaling.
“It’s so much easier to conceal e-cigarette pot use," said Morean, an assistant professor at Oberlin College. "Everybody knows that characteristic smell of marijuana, but this vapor is different. It’s possible that teenagers are using pot in a much less detectable way.”
Researchers at Yale University based their findings on answers from a survey sent to nearly 4,000 Connecticut students. The study was published Monday in Pediatrics.
About 28% of students in the study had tried e-cigarettes.
Morean said people should remember to be cautious when interpreting her findings. There haven't been any other studies showing teens are using e-cigs to vaporize marijuana. She noted that scientists don't fully understand the health effects of e-cig-vaporized cannabis.
Marijuana use in other forms can cause several health problems such as short-term memory loss, slow learning, decreased sperm count and lung damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
